Pronominal verbs_more clarity I hope?

Question

This subject has been done in the past and I will cite the lesson from 2009 but the lesson did not address some info I have gathered off the internet and in class and I think I now have a good feel for the 3 categories of pronominal verbs. Let me know where I am wrong in my thinking.

1. reflexive = verbs performing actions upon oneself which usually have to do with parts of your body, clothing, and one's state of mind using the reflexive pronoun.
   eg. aburrirse=to get bored; acostarse=to go to bed; animarse=to cheer up; ducharse=to shower

2. reciprocal = verbs doing something to each other using the plural forms of the pronominal verb.
   eg. Ellos se hablan mucho.=They often talk to each other.; Nosotros nos escribimos todos los días.=We write to each other every day.

3. idiomatic = verbs that change their meaning when the reflexive pronoun is attached.
   eg. ir=to go >irse=to leave; caer=to fall>caerse=to drop; conducir=to drive>conducirse=to behave; acordar=to agree>acordarse=to remember

Here is the link for the 2009 lesson: pronominal verbs

Answer 1

reflexive = verbs performing actions upon oneself which usually have to do with parts of your body, clothing, and one's state of mind using the reflexive pronoun. eg. aburrirse=to get bored; acostarse=to go to bed; animarse=to cheer up; ducharse=to shower

I have said this many times, but in "La lavo" and "Me lavo", the verb is exactly the same ("lavo"): you are washing something or someone. The difference between these sentences is the object, which happens to be a reflexive one. There is no reflexive verb here, but a verb identical to the other one. You should be talking about reflexive object pronouns (with normal verbs). Both "la" and "me" are direct object pronouns.

Now, "aburrirse" is not even reflexive at all. You are not boring yourself; you are getting bored, it is not your doing, plus that "se" is not functionally reflexive, but part of the verb. Calling this medial verb reflexive is, in my opinion, counter-productive, plus it is grammatically wrong. "Acostarse", similarly, does not mean that you put yourself to bed, as if you were controlling your body with a remote control.

reciprocal = verbs doing something to each other using the plural forms of the pronominal verb. eg. Ellos se hablan mucho.=They often talk to each other.; Nosotros nos escribimos todos los días.=We write to each other every day.

There are no reciprocal verbs either; only reflexive pronouns used reciprocally: "La lavan" vs "Se lavan (a sí mismos)". The only reciprocal thing is the pronoun, not the verb.

idiomatic = verbs that change their meaning when the reflexive pronoun is attached. eg. ir=to go >irse=to leave; caer=to fall>caerse=to drop; conducir=to drive>conducirse=to behave; acordar=to agree>acordarse=to remember

I have to say I have less things to criticise from the point of view of simplifying the learning, but there are differences between those verbs. "Irse" and "caerse" follow a similar pattern that relate them to their non-pronominal counterparts, while "acordarse" and "acordar" should be learnt as a verb totally unrelated (even though etymologically they are not).

You have forgotten other types of 'se', by the way. It is up to you, but I don't think you'll get very far mixing concepts and grammatical functions, and misunderstanding the real differences and similarities.

My two cents.